


Your Courage Was My Companion

by Lomedet



Category: Elizbeth Bear & Sarah Monette - A Companion To Wolves
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-20
Updated: 2009-12-20
Packaged: 2017-10-04 16:53:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/32384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lomedet/pseuds/Lomedet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Vigdis has mated elsewhere in her time...and may again." - A Companion to Wolves, p. 55</p>
            </blockquote>





	Your Courage Was My Companion

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lferion](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lferion/gifts).



> Title from the Leonard Nathan poem, "Toast."

Grimolfr woke up with a start, alert and more awake than he ever was in the first minutes after sleep. He turned to see if Hrolleif was awake as well, and then realized that the furs were cold and empty, and his shieldbrother and his sister were missing from their accustomed place beside him.

He caught his brother's eye, wondering if the wolf knew anything, and in the pack-sense, refracted through Skald's still-immature understanding of such things, he caught the scent of Vigdis' heat. The patrols had gone out two days before, leaving Grimolfr and the others bonded to Skald's littermates to hold heall. It had been an odd couple of days, with Vigdis itchy and distracted, and Hrolleif not – quite – himself. Grimolfr had seen him looking speculatively at the wolfcarls who had stayed behind, had felt an unaccustomed flush of possessiveness running through him, every time.

Since every one not involved had left, Vigdis had gotten progressively more and more flirtatious, ignoring Skald for the grown wolves of the threat, as Hrolleif's temper stretched thinner and thinner. Grimolfr had tried, once, to express his regret at Skald's relative youth, and Hrolleif had almost hit him.

With his shield-brother…distracted, Grimolfr had found himself having many conversations with Skjaldwulf. The other man was new to the heall, and his brother Mar had quickly become a favorite of Vigdis', and also a playmate of Skald's. This had come as a little bit of a surprise – Skald's puppyish possessiveness of Vigdis was a running joke in the wolfheall, but Mar's sense of humor and willingness to _play_ had won over the younger wolf. Or, at least, so Grimolfr thought – his understanding of wolfthreat politics was still less than perfect.

Skjaldwulf had told Grimolfr stories about Kerlaugstrond Wolfheall, and, when Grimolfr asked him to (the politics of wolves: say what you mean), about the matings he had seen and the one he and Mar had been part of. Grimolfr had childhood memories of wolfcarls and wolves coming out of matings bruised and sometimes broken, and even though it was different for bitches, he was a little afraid for Hrolleif and Vigdis. Vigdis had caught the scent of his concern through the pack-sense and laughed at him, and Hrolleif had just rolled his eyes. Skjaldwulf was able to tell him a little bit about what it was like, though, and tried to reassure him that how no matter how high the fever-pitch of violence and desire, the mating bitch was precious to wolves and men both. Grimolfr felt a little better after that, although he couldn't help but wonder if that also carried over to the mating bitch's _brother_.

Now, though, Vigdis' heat was roiling through the pack-sense, and Grimolfr couldn't help the twinge of fear in his belly. Skald whimpered and pushed his nose into Grimolfr's hip, and Grimolfr automatically scratched his ears.

He saw a movement in the corner of his eye, and turned to see Hrolleif standing naked on the other side of the hall, Vigdis standing between him and the men and wolves circling him. In the back of his mind, he noticed how Hrolleif's red hair and bare muscles combined in a way that was incredibly pleasing to his eye, but most of his thoughts were pure prayer: _Othinn, god of wolves, let them both get through this_.

A snarl shocked him out of himself, and he saw a flurry of fur and teeth and claws that unfurled into Mar and Borg, a ruddy wolf with black markings, the brother of a carl who neither Hrolleif or Grimolfr had ever liked very much even though, or perhaps because, his wolf liked to pay obsequious court to Vigdis. Mar had him down with his teeth at his throat, even as Skjaldwulf yanked his brother back by the hair and threw him down behind him, away from Vigdis and Hrolleif.

Mar turned to Vigdis, ignoring the fighting wolves and men behind him, and she gave a funny little wag of her tail before he bridged the distance between them with one great leap. Skjaldwulf was behind Hrolleif now, one hand wrapped in red braids and the other soothing down his back. Grimolfr searched himself for jealousy, and found none. This was so different from anything he and Hrolleif had ever done that he couldn't even find words to compare.

Mar mounted Vigdis, and she let out an undignified squeak. Skjaldwulf was behind Hrolleif, and Grimolfr could see his hand working Hrolleif's sex, bringing him to completion before Skjaldwulf finished. After Skjaldwulf and Mar, other wolves and men took their turns, and by the end, Hrolleif's head was hanging tiredly between his shoulders as the last wolfcarl finished inside him.

When he was sure it was over – wolves and men in various corners, licking their wounds, Grimolfr directed his tithemates to make sure any serious injuries were tended to, and went to see to his shieldbrother. He was curled around Vigdis, and Grimolfr would have thought he was asleep were it not for his hand slowly stroking up and down her belly. He knelt, and gently touched his shoulder. Skald padded up behind him and touched noses with Vigdis, and Grimolfr felt the pack sense warm with his concern for her, laced through with the tiniest hint of puppyish insecurity. Vigdis gave them dawn-in-autumn, the scent of molding leaves and sunrise, and Grimolfr turned to her brother.

"So?" he asked. Hrolleif cracked an eye. "I would be grateful for some water, and help getting to the bathhouse, brother."

"We can see to that. Do you think you can stand?" Grimolfr managed to convey both concern and skepticism in that one question. He was rather proud of himself.

Hrolleif spent much of the next day curled in furs with Vigdis in their corner of the wolfheall, Skald curled up with them, causing a vague sense of amusement to run through the pack-sense from the wolfthreat. "Puppy love," seemed to be the prevailing sentiment in the werthreat, and Grimolfr managed to only bristle at it a little.

The wolves who had covered her arranged themselves casually around Vigdis' side of the heall, as if they had just happened to decide that this was the most comfortable place to be at this particular moment. Their wolfcarls kept a little bit more of a distance, but Skjaldwulf made a point of coming over to see how Hrolleif fared. Mar came with him, touching noses with Vigdis and with Skald. Hrolleif raised an eyebrow at the dark-haired man and replied that he was fine, and then Skjaldwulf turned to Grimolfr and asked the same question of him.

Grimolfr had been so focused on the Hrolleif, and the interactions between the wolves, that he started a little, "Me? But I –"

Skjaldwulf waited patiently.

Grimolfr sighed. "I'm fine, Skjaldwulf. Thank you for asking." Skjaldwulf nodded, and started to turn away. Grimolfr shook himself, like a wolf, and reached out to the older man, "Skjaldwulf…" he stopped, not quite sure what he wanted to say, but knowing he had to say something. He smelled snow and cold blood and, reassured by the reminder of his brother's support, went to start again, but was interrupted.

"It's fine, Grimolfr," Skjaldwulf cracked a small smile and said, "you'll do the same for someone else someday." He nodded once, firmly, and left with Mar.

Hrolleif glanced up at Grimolfr, a question in his eyes. Grimolfr opened and closed his mouth a few times, looking for words to explain, and Hrolleif started laughing. "If it's that complicated, man, it can wait. But it can wait where it's warm, can't it?" Grimolfr reached out to clasp his hand, feeling lighter than he had in a week, and let himself be tugged down into a laughing pile of men and wolves.


End file.
